Karachi likely to receive torrential rains during monsoon

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister House has sent an alert to the Sindh chief secretary that interior Sindh and Karachi will have extraordinary rains during the forthcoming monsoon which can cause floods in Karachi.

Kamran Ali Afzal Joint Secretary (Implementation) Prime Minister House in a letter, the copy of which is available with ARY News, has written to all the chief secretaries that the PM House has received an alert from Director General Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Hazrat Mir regarding extraordinary rains in Sindh and Karachi during the forthcoming Monsoon.

The letter states that the Global Climate Models suggest normal monsoon in Pakistan. It further states the monsoon forecast by Met Office is issued on second fortnight of June which will have 10 per cent deviation with Global Climate Model prediction.

Met office said that the heavy downpour events may produce urban flooding in big cities including Karachi. The rains in catchment of Hub Dam will improve the availability of water for Karachi while drought conditions in Thar are likely to be relieved as well. There is prediction of heavy rainfall along the Suleman Range and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.

Following alert from the Met office, the Prime Minister House has directed the provincial and regional governments for initiating their preparations well in advance for flood protection and management including the formulation of precise contingency plans with clearly defined institutional responsibilities to prevent any crisis situation.